Yuletide!
I've returned to Yuletide this year, so, as always this is my dear author letter.
Firstly, if you match my sign up, I am just excited you are out there. There's something special about knowing other people love the same obscure fannish things you do. I'm generally a pretty easy-going recipient and ODAO so as always, please write something that inspires you rather than trying to do justice to a prompt you don't feel.
This year I do have a pretty big DNW (do not want). My mother died a couple of months ago following a traumatic few months before that. So please, no death and no cancer.
Other DNWs: incest; torture (unless surrounded with a lot of comfort); rape and noncon (unless it's canon); unrelieved bleakness; kink; happy endings that cheat; pure fluff; ABO; soulbonds; kidfic; "love" that really needs a restraining order and characters who are too stupid to live.
With that out of the way, I happily read gen, het and slash. Even if you to go the shippy rotue, I'm generally bored by PWP so if you do include sex I like it used to further plot or character development rather than being hot for its own sake (particularly in tiny fandoms where we get so little chance for plot and character development at all.)
Things I particularly like; (though not all of them will fit with all my prompts):
happy endings, complex paths to get there, music and stories; strong women; integrity; hope; families of choice; acts that have consequences; people being smart and competent; unexpected kindness; conflicting loyalties; triple-crosses; second chances; overcoming trials or difficulties; lovers who value, trust and like each other; people who support each other; characters wresting grace out of chaos; lationships where there are both 'political' and personal things going on at different levels.
In terms of specifics, my requests are -
Magids Series - Diana Wynne Jones
Roddy Hyde
I'd really like a story about Roddy when she is a little older, coming into or gaining confidence in her power as a future Lady of Governance, perhaps taking on responsibilities, balancing power with judgement or making finely balanced decisions. If this involves her future relationships with other people, particularly Nick, her parents or either of her grandfathers that would be great too (I have a soft spot in this world for Gwyn ap Nud ) but I'd like Roddy to remain the as protagonist.
Details for this one are pretty much as above. I'm a big fan of Roddy and there's no doubt that she has another huge task ahead of her as the future Lady of Governance, together with no doubt years of learning about all the old magic in the "flower files" now in her head. There's also a lot of substance ripe for fic in all of the different things she's gone through and achieved during the book - I always like the way Diana Wynne Jones characters grow and change and sometimes find out things about themselves or their relationships with other people that they genuinely did not expect, and I think that Roddy particularly has that kind of story arc; not just tackling the conspiracy and saving the country, but the suddenly taken on power, discovery of both sides of her family background (and especially her grandfather Gwyn), her own burgeoning magic abilities and an unexpected future.
There's lots and lots to pick up on there - I suggested Roddy a little older coming into her power or confidence or exercising her judgement as I think the book leaves her both poised on the brink of all sorts of new opportunities and growth, but also potentially really from some of the things that have happened (especially Grundo) and I would love to see the person she becomes.
I would prefer not to see a crossover with any of Diana Wynne Jones other multi-verse books (I do like Chrestomani and Howl's worlds, but there is much more fic for them and so I'd prefer the focus to be Roddy and possibly the other characters she already knows.)
And one fandom specific - I'm happy to read about Gwyn ap Nud, his relationship with Roddy and his role in this world, but please do still respect my request for no deathfic (so a cameo appearance from his retinue would be fine, but please nothing about him interacting with the newly dead, having dead characters - even ones who died in canon - feature as part of his hunting party etc)
Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty: A Gothic Romance
Leo
Aurora
Count Lilac
(also available on DVD)
At the end of the show we have Leo and Aurora needing to strike out into the 21st-century. What does that look like? Was she aware of dreams while she slept and did he learn anything about the world beyond the Forest or is it all new? And how does their continuing involvement with the supernatural and the vampire fairies work? Leo is now a vampire after all. What about Count Lilac's interactions with the two people he has watched over for so long? I'm happy to ship Leo/Aurora or Leo/Aurora/Lilac OT3
I saw the show in theatres and I was blown away. I'm a fan of Matthew Bourne's work anyway, but this is possibly the best thing I've seen live on stage ever. I love the character development, I loved the vampire fairies (are they vampires as we understand them? Are they something else altogether?) Going into the show and knowing that the good and bad fairies were both being played by male dancers, I had sort of expected I might slash them, but in fact I don't at all. I love the fact that Caradoc's obsession with Aurora is portrayed as creepy and nonconsensual and not remotely okay. I love the way Matthew Bourne invests us in the Leo/Aurora relationship and I love the way Count Lilac, while both enigmatic and alien, intervenes to change the Bad Things.
I get the feeling that Leo has done very little in the last century beyond camp out in the woods and wait for Aurora, but that's okay as it means they face the new world together. I interpreted some of the Forest sequences as meaning that Aurora may have been aware in some distant dreamlike state of Count Lilac in her dreams; I recognise that both of those things are mainly head-canon though.
I love Leo's pragmatism and loyalty. I love Aurora's bravery and individuality and the way that she is probably so much better prepared to function as a 21st-century girl without any particular wealth or position than your average Edwardian Princess. I love the way that Count Lilac clearly cares for these kids, even to the point of turning Leo so he would have a chance to rescue Aurora one day. I'd love to see his relationships with them developing and changing over time, whether as some kind of patron or in an OT3 way. Or would it be Aurora and Leo who help Lilac function in the 21st-century just as he helps them find their feet in the supernatural world? Or all three of them, especially Aurora are likely have some trauma from how things went down with Caradoc - it would be good to see them recover and flourish. (Though I don't think I'd be up for an entire fic of detailed rape-recovery).
One last thing in this fandom - I thought the flying baby in the last scene was a wonderful touch and I'm happy for the baby to be in the story or not, but I'd rather kidfic wasn't the focus.
Benjamin January Mysteries - Barbara Hambly
Dominique Viellard
I'd like to read about Minou, her life, perhaps the choices she has made for herself, the choices made for her when she was young and things which were not choices but which she has chosen to embrace. Or the ways her life interacts with the very different lives of Benjamin and Olympe, how her position affects her relationships with them or her relationships with the wider free community of colour. I'd be very happy to see some dynamic with Henri and/or Chloe; I'd love as happy an ending as is possible in her deeply imperfect world
This is something of a repeat request from much earlier years of participation in Yuletide. I love almost all the characters in this series and I love the way the author makes the world come so much to life.
I'm particularly keen to read about Dominique's position as a placee; not the mechanics of being Henri's mistress, but the way it affects her relationship and the roles she can take in the world. There's all the "usual" issues of a society where a man can have a mistress but that woman will never be respectable herself, compounded by the awful history of racism and slavery where a woman of colour can be a white man's mistress but could never be his wife and complicated by the semi-official arrangements of the placees and the quadroon balls.
With Dominique being young when she became Henri's placee and the arrangements being made by Livia, I don't think it's clear how much was her choice; given Livia's own history and Minou having much fairer skin than her half brother and sister, I'm not sure whether other options would really have been open to her. Yet she seems happy to be with Henri and to love him, despite the fact she was never sure he would fight to keep her if his marriage had meant that wasn't easy. I'm interested in the impact of being a white man's mistress on the way she is regarded by "respectable" free people of colour, even while it means she lives a more comfortable and affluent life than many of them can aspire to. And I'm interested in how very vulnerable
that lifestyle is and how little security she has - how Henri could well have abandoned her and her child without recourse when he married Chloe.
In spite of all this, I like Henri and Chloe and Minou's relationships with them both. My natural urge for happy ever after comes into obvious conflict with the realities of slavery and racism in 1830s Louisiana. But I would love to see Dominique wresting a life that she wants and where she can be happy from the deeply imperfect world she lives in. I think that is in keeping with her canon storyline too. I wouldn't want OT3 for this fandom as I think it would actually be too easy a way of simplifying the complexities of Minou's relationships, but if you want to include Chloe and Henri I'd love to see the three of them living out a life that works for them, regardless of what anyone else thinks of the arrangement.
Firstly, if you match my sign up, I am just excited you are out there. There's something special about knowing other people love the same obscure fannish things you do. I'm generally a pretty easy-going recipient and ODAO so as always, please write something that inspires you rather than trying to do justice to a prompt you don't feel.
This year I do have a pretty big DNW (do not want). My mother died a couple of months ago following a traumatic few months before that. So please, no death and no cancer.
Other DNWs: incest; torture (unless surrounded with a lot of comfort); rape and noncon (unless it's canon); unrelieved bleakness; kink; happy endings that cheat; pure fluff; ABO; soulbonds; kidfic; "love" that really needs a restraining order and characters who are too stupid to live.
With that out of the way, I happily read gen, het and slash. Even if you to go the shippy rotue, I'm generally bored by PWP so if you do include sex I like it used to further plot or character development rather than being hot for its own sake (particularly in tiny fandoms where we get so little chance for plot and character development at all.)
Things I particularly like; (though not all of them will fit with all my prompts):
happy endings, complex paths to get there, music and stories; strong women; integrity; hope; families of choice; acts that have consequences; people being smart and competent; unexpected kindness; conflicting loyalties; triple-crosses; second chances; overcoming trials or difficulties; lovers who value, trust and like each other; people who support each other; characters wresting grace out of chaos; lationships where there are both 'political' and personal things going on at different levels.
In terms of specifics, my requests are -
Magids Series - Diana Wynne Jones
Roddy Hyde
I'd really like a story about Roddy when she is a little older, coming into or gaining confidence in her power as a future Lady of Governance, perhaps taking on responsibilities, balancing power with judgement or making finely balanced decisions. If this involves her future relationships with other people, particularly Nick, her parents or either of her grandfathers that would be great too (I have a soft spot in this world for Gwyn ap Nud ) but I'd like Roddy to remain the as protagonist.
Details for this one are pretty much as above. I'm a big fan of Roddy and there's no doubt that she has another huge task ahead of her as the future Lady of Governance, together with no doubt years of learning about all the old magic in the "flower files" now in her head. There's also a lot of substance ripe for fic in all of the different things she's gone through and achieved during the book - I always like the way Diana Wynne Jones characters grow and change and sometimes find out things about themselves or their relationships with other people that they genuinely did not expect, and I think that Roddy particularly has that kind of story arc; not just tackling the conspiracy and saving the country, but the suddenly taken on power, discovery of both sides of her family background (and especially her grandfather Gwyn), her own burgeoning magic abilities and an unexpected future.
There's lots and lots to pick up on there - I suggested Roddy a little older coming into her power or confidence or exercising her judgement as I think the book leaves her both poised on the brink of all sorts of new opportunities and growth, but also potentially really from some of the things that have happened (especially Grundo) and I would love to see the person she becomes.
I would prefer not to see a crossover with any of Diana Wynne Jones other multi-verse books (I do like Chrestomani and Howl's worlds, but there is much more fic for them and so I'd prefer the focus to be Roddy and possibly the other characters she already knows.)
And one fandom specific - I'm happy to read about Gwyn ap Nud, his relationship with Roddy and his role in this world, but please do still respect my request for no deathfic (so a cameo appearance from his retinue would be fine, but please nothing about him interacting with the newly dead, having dead characters - even ones who died in canon - feature as part of his hunting party etc)
Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty: A Gothic Romance
Leo
Aurora
Count Lilac
(also available on DVD)
At the end of the show we have Leo and Aurora needing to strike out into the 21st-century. What does that look like? Was she aware of dreams while she slept and did he learn anything about the world beyond the Forest or is it all new? And how does their continuing involvement with the supernatural and the vampire fairies work? Leo is now a vampire after all. What about Count Lilac's interactions with the two people he has watched over for so long? I'm happy to ship Leo/Aurora or Leo/Aurora/Lilac OT3
I saw the show in theatres and I was blown away. I'm a fan of Matthew Bourne's work anyway, but this is possibly the best thing I've seen live on stage ever. I love the character development, I loved the vampire fairies (are they vampires as we understand them? Are they something else altogether?) Going into the show and knowing that the good and bad fairies were both being played by male dancers, I had sort of expected I might slash them, but in fact I don't at all. I love the fact that Caradoc's obsession with Aurora is portrayed as creepy and nonconsensual and not remotely okay. I love the way Matthew Bourne invests us in the Leo/Aurora relationship and I love the way Count Lilac, while both enigmatic and alien, intervenes to change the Bad Things.
I get the feeling that Leo has done very little in the last century beyond camp out in the woods and wait for Aurora, but that's okay as it means they face the new world together. I interpreted some of the Forest sequences as meaning that Aurora may have been aware in some distant dreamlike state of Count Lilac in her dreams; I recognise that both of those things are mainly head-canon though.
I love Leo's pragmatism and loyalty. I love Aurora's bravery and individuality and the way that she is probably so much better prepared to function as a 21st-century girl without any particular wealth or position than your average Edwardian Princess. I love the way that Count Lilac clearly cares for these kids, even to the point of turning Leo so he would have a chance to rescue Aurora one day. I'd love to see his relationships with them developing and changing over time, whether as some kind of patron or in an OT3 way. Or would it be Aurora and Leo who help Lilac function in the 21st-century just as he helps them find their feet in the supernatural world? Or all three of them, especially Aurora are likely have some trauma from how things went down with Caradoc - it would be good to see them recover and flourish. (Though I don't think I'd be up for an entire fic of detailed rape-recovery).
One last thing in this fandom - I thought the flying baby in the last scene was a wonderful touch and I'm happy for the baby to be in the story or not, but I'd rather kidfic wasn't the focus.
Benjamin January Mysteries - Barbara Hambly
Dominique Viellard
I'd like to read about Minou, her life, perhaps the choices she has made for herself, the choices made for her when she was young and things which were not choices but which she has chosen to embrace. Or the ways her life interacts with the very different lives of Benjamin and Olympe, how her position affects her relationships with them or her relationships with the wider free community of colour. I'd be very happy to see some dynamic with Henri and/or Chloe; I'd love as happy an ending as is possible in her deeply imperfect world
This is something of a repeat request from much earlier years of participation in Yuletide. I love almost all the characters in this series and I love the way the author makes the world come so much to life.
I'm particularly keen to read about Dominique's position as a placee; not the mechanics of being Henri's mistress, but the way it affects her relationship and the roles she can take in the world. There's all the "usual" issues of a society where a man can have a mistress but that woman will never be respectable herself, compounded by the awful history of racism and slavery where a woman of colour can be a white man's mistress but could never be his wife and complicated by the semi-official arrangements of the placees and the quadroon balls.
With Dominique being young when she became Henri's placee and the arrangements being made by Livia, I don't think it's clear how much was her choice; given Livia's own history and Minou having much fairer skin than her half brother and sister, I'm not sure whether other options would really have been open to her. Yet she seems happy to be with Henri and to love him, despite the fact she was never sure he would fight to keep her if his marriage had meant that wasn't easy. I'm interested in the impact of being a white man's mistress on the way she is regarded by "respectable" free people of colour, even while it means she lives a more comfortable and affluent life than many of them can aspire to. And I'm interested in how very vulnerable
that lifestyle is and how little security she has - how Henri could well have abandoned her and her child without recourse when he married Chloe.
In spite of all this, I like Henri and Chloe and Minou's relationships with them both. My natural urge for happy ever after comes into obvious conflict with the realities of slavery and racism in 1830s Louisiana. But I would love to see Dominique wresting a life that she wants and where she can be happy from the deeply imperfect world she lives in. I think that is in keeping with her canon storyline too. I wouldn't want OT3 for this fandom as I think it would actually be too easy a way of simplifying the complexities of Minou's relationships, but if you want to include Chloe and Henri I'd love to see the three of them living out a life that works for them, regardless of what anyone else thinks of the arrangement.